Engine



o. si LEONARD AND R.' H. AND nil. BECK. ENGINE- I n APPLICATION FILED 'AUG.2, 19l6. I 1 1 I I Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. S. LEONARD AND R, H. AND R. J. BECK;

ENGINE.

. APPLICATION H LED A\ JG-2,' 19!6.

Patented Apt. 27, 1920.

4 SHEEIS SHEEI 2.

T 3k NAN 53 6 C. S. LEONARD AND R. H AND R. I. BECK.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2:. 191.6.

Patented Apr. 27 1920;

4 SHLElS-SHEEI 3- as. MN wk a 1 KAALA 3 E 1 H n o M Q\ I Q \N F N W m KM IN\;ENTOR.

WITNESSES c s. LEONARD AND R. H. AND R. J. BECK ENGINE. v

- APPLICATION FILED AUG-2,1916.

L a I ho! Z 7/// I V/// w a a WC" INVENTORS WITNESSES ATTORNE tion.

Pennsylvania, and- RUDOLPH -H.

STATES PATENT onn on.

CHESTER S. LEONARD, or LANsDowNE, AND aunonrn H. BECK AND RUDOLPH'J.

BECK, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ENGINE.

sp'ecification'of Letters Patent. pat t -.27, 192

'- Application filed August 2, 1916. Serial No. 112,643.

Be it known that we, CHESTER S. LEONARD,-

a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansdowne, county of Delaware State of iBECK and Runonrrr JqBncK, both citizens of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Penns lvania, have invented a new and useful ngine, of whichthe following 1s a specifica- Our present invention consists of a novel Y construction of a multiple cylinder engine which maybe driven by means of any desired type of motive fluid and wherein each cylinder piston has a power stroke at each revolution of the driving shaft. In case the .engine is operated 'as an internal combustion engine, an exploslon in each engine cyhnder is obtained during one revolution of the driving shaft.

It further consists of a novel multiple cylinder engine wherein two power strokes for each cylinder piston or two explosions for each engine cylinder take'place during each revolution of the power .or driving shaft. y

It further consists of a novel engine which is never on dead-center and therefore very easy to start and a greatrange-for throttling the speed of the engine is provided which is especially valuable in the case of motors used in conjunction with motor drivenvehicles.

The present invention is adapted to be applied to all forms ofheat engines including the two stroke cycle gas engine.

It further consists of a novel construction of a cam and novel means connected with the piston rods to-increase' the flexibility of such rods, and reduce to a minimum the A 1 wearon' the cylinder.

It further conslsts of novel means for actuating the intake and exhaustvalves.

Oth'er novel features of construction and advantage will hereinafter appear in the detailed description of our invention.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention,'we have shown in the accompanying drawings those' forms thereof which are at present preferred by us, since the same'will .be found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that our invention' is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these lnstrumentalities as herein shown and described.

1 Figure represents a sectional elevation ,of an engine embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 represents .a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

its adjuncts assume at the beginning of the exhaust strokefl Fig. 6 represents diagrammatically the position the parts of an engine cylinder and its adjuncts assume during 'the charge stroke.

Fig. 7 represents diagrammatically the position the parts of an engine cylinder and its adjuncts assume at the beginning of the compression stroke.

Figs. 8 and 9 represent sectional views of another embodiment of our invention, the

working parts being shown in different positions.

Flg. 10 represents a longitudinal section through the power shaft, cam chamber and en ine cylinder.

imilar. numerals of 'referenceindicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the engine housing or framework in which is journaled a driving shaft 2 which may be connected to the mechanism to be driven in any desired or'conventional manner and for the purpose of illustration we have shown the shaft 2 as having mounted thereon a pulley 3. '4 designates a crank' adapted to be operatively. connected with the driving shaft to effect its initialrotation to turn over the engine. 5 designates cams in the form of plates or disks which are connected by an integral hub 6 fixed on the 'driving shaft 2. Each of these cams is provided with anelliptically shaped cam groove 7, as best seen in Fig. 2.

The side of each cam plate near its outer I peri hery is preferably grooved, as indicate at 8, in order to receive a retaining flange 9 projecting laterally from outer fi plates (in disks which form fly wheels and are secured in osition by means of spacing rods 11, the en s of which are threaded and provided with fastening devices 12, whereby cam plates 5 are properly-reinforced.

13 designates the englne cylinders any desired number of which may be. employed in.a group about the shaft 2, but,'for purposes of illustration, we haveshown a, multiple cylinder engine having three enginecylinders, and these cylinders may be seecured. with respect to the framework in an desired orv conventional manner. Within each engine cylinderis a piston 14 to which is pivotally connected its piston rod 15.

The inner end of each piston rod 15 isconnected with across bar 16, the ends of" which are provided with antifri'ction'members, such as rollers 17, which travel in their respective cam grooves 7.

18 designates a link having one end bifurcated to straddle the piston rod and such 4 bifurcated end is apertured to' receivethe, cross 'bar'16. The outer end of a link18 is' pivbtally connected as' at 19, to a stationary portion of the engine housing. By such construction a piston rod is deflected in the direction of rotation of .the 'enginegand all unnecessary friction between the rollers and thecam grooves is eliminated so that the. forces exerted on the pistons canbe transvmitted with highestefficiency through the flexible linkage to the power or driving shaft on which the cams are fixedly mounted. The slight deflection of the piston rod produces such a small side thrust of the piston that the oval wear ordinarilypresent in 'controlled by a valve 25.

cylinders-wherein the pistons are-reciprocated by a crank shaft under the four stroke cylinder method is practically eliminated.

' 20 designates a fuel tank which is operatively connected with a carbureter 21 of any,

desired or conventional'types The carbureter 21 communicates with the mixing chamber of a casing 22 which is in'commuv nication by means of its respective conduit 23, with a cylinder intake ort 24 which is its stem 26 guided in the cylinder wall and extending into the cam chamber 27, and its lower end is connected to a roller guide 28 in which is mounted a roller 29. 30 .designates a cam fixed to the shaft 2and having itsouter periphery extending into the roller guide 28. A spring 31'interposed between the roller guide 28 and a wall of the cam chamber maintains the intake valve 25 in he valve 25 has shaft 2. The exhaust port leads to a muffler 38. Each engine cylinder is provided with a spark plug- 39 of any desired or conventional type. 53 designates a timing mechanism of any desired or conventional 1 type and it is therefore believed to be u'n-' necessary to illustrate and describe in detail its construction and operation. The cam.

chamber is adapted to receive lubricant which passes .to the shaft through passages 40. The cams 30 and 37 are constructed their respective valves on their rotation in either direction so that the engine can be reversed when desired.

In the embodiment seen in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, we have shown a construction wherein two explosions are produced in'each engine cylinder during one rotation'of'the driving shaft. In this embodiment {41 designates the casing forming the cam chamber 42 through which extends thedriving shaft 43 on which is mounted an elliptical. shaped cam- 44 which coiiperates' with the piston rod 45 to which is pivoted one end of a link 46, the other end of. which is pivotedto the casing 41. The .piston rod is connected to its 'piston 47 located inanengine cylin- ,der 48 provided with a spark plug 49. The

suction caused by the upstroke of the piston draws a charge fgas through a port 50 leading from the intake manifoldeinto the cam chamber 42, see Fig. 8. This charge is compressed inthe'cam chamber by the following downstroke and as the piston reaches the end of this stroke-the-admission port 51,'see Fig. 9, is opened thus permitting the explosive charge to pass nto the engine cylinder. The next upstroke of the piston compresses the. charge into the compression space at the 'top of the cylinder Where it is ignited by the spark plug 49.

The force of the explosion drives the piston downwardly on-its power stroke and as it passes the exhaust port I52, see .Fig. 9, the waste products of combustionare expelled, and a fresh charge of explosive mixturepasses from the cam chamber to the engine cylinder. The momentum of the fly wheels carries the piston upward on another compression stroke and the cycle of the operation is repeated giving a power stroke in every two strokes of the. piston and since the piston makes four strokes in every-revolution of theelliptically grooved'cam there are two power strokes delivered to it and to the power shaft in each of their revolutions by each piston. This applied to any number of cylinders that can be located around the power shaft.

In Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, we have illustrated diagrammatically the positions the existing condition prevailing at any cylinder ready to deliver the power stroke.. In'

Fig. is illustrated the condition prevailing in any cylinder ready to deliver'the exhaust stroke.v .In Fig 6 is 'illustrated. the condition prevailing in any cylinderready to deliver the chargingflstrokeh; In Fig. is

illustrsitedithecondition-prevailing in any cylinder "ready to deliver the compression stroke.

' double that of the ordinary fourstroke cycle which requires two revolutions ofthecrank shaft for its completion.

valves of any possible number of cylinders which can be'radially'located on a frame.

about a power-shaft. The ignition ofthe gas in any, cylinder at the proper time is accomplished bya timer secured directly on the power shaft. p I

The elliptically groovedicams being fastenedto the fly wheels act as a part of them at all'times. This cannot be accomplished by the cfrank shaftdrive which is used on the four stroke cycle engine without. counterbalancing, which produces an increase. of weight and loss of power. v It will nowbe apparent thatwe have devised a novel and useful construction of an engine which embodies the features of ad vantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and-the above description, and while we have, in the present instance, shownand described preferred embodiments thereof which will be found in practice to give satisfactory andreliableresults, it is .to be understood that the same are susceptible of modification in various particularswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the claims or sacrificing any. of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described our invention,-

what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an engine, the combination of a housing, a shaftijournaled therein, equidistant cylinders fixed to the housing and spaced apart about the shaft, pistons movable in said cylinders, means for actuating said pistons, piston rods connected to the .pistons and extending within-the housing,

links connected at one end to the innerportions of'the piston rods and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the hous-.

ing, anti-friction rollers connected with the.

inner portions of the piston rods, spaced outer disks 'fixed to the shaft and arranged against the outer 'sides of the cam disks and having inwardly-extending retaining flanges surrounding the cam disks, and transverse j means connecting the several cam disks and Thecams controlling the valves have each an operative surface which will actuate the outer. disks.

In an engine, the combinationofa housing, .a shaft journaled therein, equiposite side adjacent to its outer end, valves controlling said ports and havingrods extending toward the shaft, means tending .to

a normally close said valves,pistons movable in said cylinders, piston rodsconnected to .the pistons and extending Within the housing, links connected at one end to the/inner portions of the piston rods and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the housing, anti-friction rollers connected with the inner portions of the piston rods, spaced disks, at opposite. sides of the rods and' links, fixed on the shaft and having elliptical cam grooves in which said rollers are disposed, outer'disks fixed tothe shaft and arranged against the outer sides'of the cam disks and having inwardly-extending retaining flanges surrounding the cam disks, transversemeans connecting the several cam disks and outer disks, and cams fixed to the shaft at the outer sides of said outer disks with their perimeters opposed to the inner ends of the said valve rods.

CHESTERS. LEONARD. RUDOLPH H. BECK, I RUDOLPH BECK.

Witnesses: I

H. S. FAIRBAKKS, C. D. McVAr. 

